


The Bond Runs Deep

by Strangexunusual



Category: Beetlejuice - All Media Types, Beetlejuice - Perfect/Brown & King
Genre: Bonding, Comfort, Emotional, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotions, Families of Choice, Family Bonding, Found Family, Gen, Ghosts, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Mental Link, Multi, Sweet, Tears
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 11:33:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28581306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strangexunusual/pseuds/Strangexunusual
Summary: The Maitlands always know when Lydia needs them most, her relationship with them a lot stronger than those with her biological father and Delia.
Relationships: Lydia Deetz & Adam Maitland & Barbara Maitland
Kudos: 9





	The Bond Runs Deep

The Maitlands always know when Lydia needs them most, her relationship with them a lot stronger than those with her biological father and Delia. They often described the sudden urge to check up on the teenager and make sure she was doing okay as a tingling sensation all over their forms. Other times, however, it was either a burning sensation or the feeling of electricity surging through their forms. Barbara seemed to get these feelings a lot more than Adam did, and there were times Lydia needed one, the other, or both of them. 

The burning sensation and the feeling of electricity surging through their forms were a little bit more rarer than the tingling sensation, but it depended entirely on how much Lydia needed them at the moment. Sometimes, she would be having trouble with stuff only the Maitlands could understand, other times she would need either one of them. It didn't matter which one. 

In the weeks following the whole incident with Betelgeuse, the Maitlands had helped Charles and Delia out with parenting Lydia, often doing it when the living couple were at work, or out of town. Though they had to admit parenting a teen was much harder than they originally thought, the Maitlands were slowly getting used to it. 

Adam had been relaxing in the attic, sitting and reading a book he never got to finish whilst he was alive as Barbara did a little practice with her ghostly powers, when he felt the much rarer burning sensation coursing throughout his form. A quick look up from his book and over towards Barbara told him she too felt that same sensation. Wordlessly, he stood up and the two ghosts exited the attic in search of the teen that was sort-of like an adopted daughter to them. 

The clear, yet muffled sound of crying coursed throughout the house, and to both ghosts, the burning sensations they had both felt became a bit stronger. 

"Lydia? You doing okay?" asked Barbara out of worry, both her and Adam phasing halfway through the teenager's bedroom door to find her laying on her stomach on her bed and crying just a little.

Lydia looked up briefly, revealing her face to not only be stained with tears, but also bruised a little. The Maitlands looked at each other in complete concern at the sight of that. Both of the ghosts floated over towards the upset teenager as she sat herself upright, sitting themselves on either side of her and wrapping their arms around her in consolation.

"It's okay, sweetie," said Barbara as the teen calmed herself down a little, shifting in the Maitlands' ice cold touch. Barbara brushed an ice cold hand down one of Lydia's bruised cheeks. "Now, how exactly did this all happen?" 

"I... I..." the teen paused, not exactly sure how to phrase this to the Maitlands. She teared up again and Barbara ran a hand through her short black hair.

"It's okay, Lydia. You don't need to hide anything from us." 

"I... was... on my way to school this morning when a group of bullies came right up to me, taunted me nonstop about me being a goth loser, and pushed me over onto the sidewalk. I managed to stop myself from bleeding and got to school twenty minutes early." 

"Oh, honey. That's awful," said Barbara with a hint of sadness, worry, and concern present in her voice. "Did you tell your teachers what happened?" 

Lydia went a little silent, looking down towards the floor of her bedroom. Both ghosts sensed that she could've done but didn't want to. When the silence dragged on for at least a few more minutes, Barbara shared another worried look with Adam. 

"I'll take that as a no," said Barbara with a sigh, pulling the teenager close to her and hugging her. Closing her eyes, Lydia rested her head against Barbara's chest area. Adam rested a hand on Lydia's back, calming her down when tears started pouring down the sides of her face at a constant rate.

"I did tell the school nurse what happened though," said Lydia after a few more minutes had passed, an hour to the Maitlands. "But should my dad and Delia know what happened?" She seemed a little unsure about that, the Maitlands consoling her. 

“They have every right to know. We’ll talk to them about this over dinner. Is that okay with you, sweetheart?” 

Lydia nodded. “That’s fine.” 

“Now, how long has this bullying been going on for?” questioned Barbara. 

“Since I started school, so a few months at the very least,” said Lydia quietly, looking down towards her bedroom floor and going a little silent before speaking up again. “And it’s been doing nothing but driving me insane.”

“Oh, sweetie. That’s terrible,” commented Barbara, both her and Adam feeling a little sorrow for the teenager. “Do you want us to talk with your dad about making an appointment for you to see a therapist or a psychologist or even a psychiatrist of some sort? If anything, that’s what you need right now.” 

Again, Lydia nodded. “Thanks, Barbara.”

At the slight sound of Lydia’s dad and Delia calling up to the three of them, Lydia and the Maitlands stood up in unison and made their way downstairs.

Turning to Barbara as the two of them and Lydia made their way downstairs, Adam had to ask-whisper, “what got you to think to ask Lydia if it was okay for us to mention the possibility of getting her a therapist to her dad and Delia?”

At that Barbara shrugged, also unsure of what made her think to ask about that.


End file.
